Field of the Invention
This invention relates to aroma diffusion and more particularly, to novel systems and methods for atomizing and diffusing essential oils in enclosed habitable spaces.
Background Art
Germicidal protection technology exists in sanitary industrial applications, such as restroom air germicidal protection, toilet bowl and tank purification systems, odor-control pellets, tablets, atomizers, and the like. These systems may be passive, operating strictly on vapor pressure, or maybe electrically powered, such as by heaters, lamps, fans, and the like.
Likewise, it has been found suitable to use fragrances in association with many cleaning products. These vary from kitchen soaps for dishes, to floor cleaning materials, carpet cleaners, and the like. That is, in general, it is known to put fragrances in cleaning systems. Accordingly, cleaning solvents, soaps, detergents, and the like may include fragrances leaving residual fragrance following cleaning. Nevertheless, the intention of the cleaning product itself is to either clean up “dirt” or “soil” from furniture, floors, walls, curtains, and the like, or to otherwise scrub away foreign matter.
On the other hand, disinfectants, antimicrobial materials, antiseptic materials, and the like are also used. For example, hospitals, are a case in point in which numerous germicidal liquids, vapors, pads, wipes, tools, and the like are used to wipe down surfaces, floors, restrooms, toilet facilities, sinks, and the like in order to control microbes such as germs, bacteria, viruses, and the like.
Meanwhile, an industry has developed around aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is typically directed to the infusion of an atmospheric environment, such as a room, home, kitchen, store, or the like with a scent selected from, for example, a fragrance or an essential oil, such as citrus, lavender, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, and so forth. This may be done by burning candles, heating a wax carrier that is infused with the oil, or the like. In other embodiments, essential oils may be vaporized in atomizers and distributed into a room.
Atomization creates a Gaussian distribution of droplets of a liquid entrained in a stream of air. The larger droplets tend to launch farther, once accelerated to the speed of an entraining air flow, and then drop or settle out in still air rather than remaining airborne as a fine mist would do. Thus they land on and subsequently damage furniture and other surrounding objects.
Moreover, they are less effective, evaporating more slowly because they have a lower surface-to-volume ratio than comparatively smaller droplets and mist particles. Thus, if dispersed by an atomizer or diffuser, they may waste liquid being atomized, with less effect, while creating damage and a mess to be cleaned up.
It would be an advance in the art to provide an improved system for atomization.